Charles Bukowski

Born in Germany but raised in California, Bukowski seemed to be at odds with life from an early age. Brought up in an abusive household, he displayed shy loner tendencies, which were only exacerbated in his teenage years by serious acne and its subsequent facial scars. Far from a conventionally handsome guy, Bukowski shaped his writing persona around the image of the shunned outsider. During World War II, he was briefly jailed for draft dodging and later found to be unfit for service. Bukowski began writing short stories, but he soon became discouraged with the literary world, and entered a period where work, drinking and a series of failed relationships largely defined his life. He returned... Continue Bio >>